TreeClan: Forgiveness
by MusicOceans
Summary: SkyClan, the disbanded Clan that Firestar recreated, now lives in a new territory with TreeClan, NightClan, and LakeClan. Lightfoot and Willowleaf, sisters in TreeClan, face separate destinies that could lead to the destruction of TreeClan, their Clan.
1. Alliances

**Alliances of the Four Clans: TreeClan, SkyClan, NightClan, and LakeClan**

**TreeClan**

****TreeClan hunts in the trees in the dense forest. They have a system of hunting that involves two hunters: one is the stalker and the other is the camouflage. The stalker it usually a brightly colored cat that stalks the prey in the trees while the camouflage sits and waits in the branches nearby. When the stalker startles the prey, it jumps right into the paws of the camouflage. Simple. They also hunt on the ground, similar to ThunderClan.

Leader:

**Elmstar**- golden tabby tom

_Apprentice, Goldpaw_

Deputy:

**Branchtail**- brown tabby tom with long tail

Medicine Cat:

**Willowleaf**- silver and white tabby she-cat with green eyes

Warriors:

**Amberwing**- pale golden she-cat with amber eyes {mate of Elmstar}

**Hiddenpelt**- mottled brown and black tom with dark brown, almost black eyes

**Lightfoot**- slender white she-cat with light brown eyes

**Swiftheart**- dark ginger tom

_Apprentice, Plumpaw_

**Vineclaw**- brown and white tabby tom

Apprentices:

**Plumpaw**- cream colored she-cat with dark amber eyes

**Goldpaw**- pale golden she-cat

Queens:

**Maplebelly**- dark brown tabby and white she-cat {Mother of Branchtail's kits: Briarkit and Molekit}

Kits:

**Briarkit**- white she-cat with brown tabby patches and dark blue eyes

**Molekit**- small brown tabby tom with green eyes

**Robinkit**- ginger tabby she-cat

**Owlkit**- brown tabby tom

Elders:

**SkyClan**

****SkyClan here is like the SkyClan in the books. The cats rely on strong hind legs so they can jump and catch their prey. In fact, the SkyClan in this story is from the books. The characters are completely different, but the storyline is that Firestar helped to rebuild SkyClan as he did in the real Warriors series. SkyClan had to move because their home wasn't supporting them and when they moved, the three other Clans were built. Now, the four Clans live like ThunderClan, WindClan, ShadowClan, and RiverClan do, except they live in a different territory.

Leader:

**Rosestar**-solid reddish brown she-cat

Deputy:

Medicine Cat:

**Fernlight**- calico she-cat with distinctive golden markings

Warriors:

Apprentices:

Queens:

Kits:

Elders:

**NightClan**

****NightClan hunts during the night. They have daylight patrols like any other Clan, but they mainly function at night under silverpelt and the moon. They live in a forest filled with pine trees.

Leader:

**Sharpstar**- black tom with white paws

Deputy:

Medicine Cat:

**Quietspring**- light gray tom with blue eyes

_Apprentice, Sagepaw_

Warriors:

**Silenthunter**- dark brown she-cat

**Blackstripe**- pale gray tom with black stripes

**Hazepelt**- pale brown tabby tom

Apprentices:

**Ebonypaw**- black she-cat

**Rockpaw**- gray brown tabby tom

**Sagepaw**- cream tabby tom

Queens:

Kits:

Elders:

**LakeClan**

****LakeClan hunts by actually swimming under water to catch fish. The have a lake on their territory where they can do so, but the lake feeds into a river where they can also catch fish, usually by sitting on the banks of the river, like RiverClan.

Leader:

**Muddystar**-brown tabby she-cat

Deputy:

Medicine Cat:

**Mistypath**- marbled gray tabby she-cat

_Apprentice, Larkpaw_

Warriors:

**Raventail**- black she-cat with white tail tip

Apprentices:

**Larkpaw**- dark gray tabby tom with white back paws and locket

Queens:

Kits:

Elders:

**Creampelt**- cream colored she-cat

**StarClan**

****The StarClan in this story does not contain any cats from the StarClan in the books, simply because they walk in different skies. So, there will be no mentioning of Bluestar, Lionheart, Yellowfang, etc. However, it is possible for this StarClan to contact the StarClan in the books, but it is very difficult and probably won't be done in this story, depending on where I want to go with it.

**Graylight**- gray tom with amber eyes, brother of Lightfoot and Willowleaf **TC**

**Flowertail**- white she-cat with ginger patches, mate of Hiddenpelt, mother of Heatherpaw **TC**

**Heatherpaw**- tortoiseshell and white she-cat, daughter of Hiddenpelt and Flowertail **TC**

**Dapplemoon**- tortoiseshell she-cat, mate of Swiftheart, mother of Robinkit and Owlkit **NC**

**Barksky**- dark brown ticked tabby tom with amber eyes, former medicine cat of **TC**and former mentor of Willowleaf


	2. Prologue

**Prologue**

It was a calm, dark night. The trees swayed gently by the cool breeze and little creatures were scuttling about the undergrowth beneath the silvery moonlight.

A gray tom cat padded through the forest, leaping over clumps of undergrowth and arriving at a shallow pool of water. Starlight reflected in the calm pond, but when he looked down into the water, he could clearly see the four Clans that he had left behind.

"Don't be sad, Graylight," a melodious voice whispered through the trees. The gray cat lifted his head, pelt bristling as his amber eyes scanning the forest for the source of the voice. A white she-cat with ginger patches appeared from the bushes. She padded over to him and sat beside him, gray fur mingling with ginger and white. Graylight looked back at the pool of water, his fur lying flat along his spine.

"I'm not sad, Flowertail." His ears twitched nervously as he looked back at the she-cat. "But I am wary of my sisters' destinies. They hold the life of TreeClan in their paws."

"So you have heard the prophecy then?" Flowertail mewed, cocking her head to one side inquisitively.

"I know of my one sister's destiny." The gray tom went stiff and his eyes glazed over as he spoke the words: "Two birds will bring strength to TreeClan if one can learn to forgive. Only then will the Ocean and Sun will bring peace and harmony. Without forgiveness, much blood will be shed."

Graylight blinked, looking over at his friend, amber eyes dark. "I fear for the future of TreeClan."


	3. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

A gentle wind lifted browned leaves off of the forest floor, blowing them to different spots every time. Tall trees sprouted from the ground, sheltering the ground from most of the sunlight while still allowing the cold breeze to reach the undergrowth.

As the wind blew once more, a small white cat glided towards the nearest tree, barely making a noise. She jumped and fastened her razor claws into the hard bark and clawed her way to the lowest branch as the wind eased up. Crouching there, she waited until another wind passed through the quiet forest before climbing even higher up, until she could see a whole new world of branches and leaves.

Suddenly, she spotted her prey. In a nearby tree, a squirrel sat, tail twitching, completely oblivious to its hunter. While it was distracted inspecting the tree, another wind blew, giving the white she-cat a perfect opportunity to make her away to the nearby tree. Stealthily, she climbed so that she was level to the squirrel. It looked at her, its eyes flashing in alarm for a split second before attempting to make a miraculous escape. Little did it know that another cat crouched in the shadows, waiting for the squirrel to run right to its own death. As the squirrel ran in his direction, the dark ginger cat extended his claws and killed the prey.

"Well done!" the ginger tom purred, putting a paw on the squirrel to make sure it didn't fall off the tree. "You hardly made a noise at all. If I hadn't been able to spot your white fur, I wouldn't have known you were even up here."

"I'm not very inconspicuous am I," she meowed happily. "We make a great team, Swiftheart."

"We do, Lightfoot," he agreed. "Go bring that to our pile and I'll look for some more."

The little white she-cat hopped over to the branch where her friend stood and picked up the squirrel in her mouth. She leaped from branch to branch, slowly making her way to the lowest branch of the tree, before jumping down to the forest floor. She padded a little way away to the small pile they had collected and added the squirrel to it.

"That was a really great catch," a gentle voice sounded from a nearby shrub. Lightfoot glanced up and saw a cream-colored head poke out from the side.

"Thank you, Plumpaw," Lightfoot meowed. "Has Swiftheart taken you up in the trees yet?"

"Of course," she mewed rather timidly.

"And she was great at it!" Swiftheart praised as he landed softly on the ground. "She's a real natural, just like her father."

Plumpaw ducked her head, embarrassment rolling off her in waves. Plumpaw and her sister, Goldpaw, were the daughters of Elmstar and Amberwing.

"Why don't you come up with us," Lightfoot offered," and see if you can distinguish the scents up there."

"Okay!" Plumpaw exclaimed, her fluffy cream tail shooting straight into the air.

"Remember what I taught you," Swiftheart reminded her softly. "Climb up with confidence and make sure every muscle is tense so you don't make a lot of noise. I'll be right behind you."

Lightfoot led the way, sinking her claws into the bark of a nearby tree and climbing up to the lowest branch. Her light brown eyes watched intently as the little apprentice followed, her paws a little clumsy as she scrabbled up to stand beside Lightfoot.

"I'm still getting used to it," Plumpaw said sheepishly, looking down at her paws.

"You did fine. Once you've done it enough, it'll be as easy as walking on the ground," Lightfoot meowed encouragingly as Swiftheart made his way up to join them rather awkwardly.

"Okay then," he grumbled, his fur fluffed out in embarrassment. "Plumpaw, can you scent anything?"

The pale apprentice lifted her pink nose into the air and opened her mouth to breathe in the scents of the forest. Her dark amber eyes shone intensely as she replied, "There's a pigeon in a nearby tree, I think to the left of us." She turned her head to the right and flicked her tail, signaling the other warriors to follow her gaze. Lightfoot looked and crouched down low to the branch.

"Well done," Swiftheart whispered, crouching low too. "Birds are very tricky to catch. Instead of me waiting in a nearby branch for squirrels, I'm going to wait above. Watch closely."

The two warriors got into position. Lightfoot slowly crept forward while Swiftheart climbed higher up. As the wind blew, they would move closer to the bird and when it stopped, they froze, until they were finally right where they wanted to be. Lightfoot twitched her tail ever so slightly, signaling to Swiftheart that she was about to move. The white warrior leaped towards the bird, her claws scraping its gray wings as it tried to fly away, right into Swiftheart's claws. He fastened his teeth into its neck to kill it quickly.

"Wow!" Plumpaw squealed. "That was great!"

"Someday, you'll be able to do that," Lightfoot told her. Swiftheart jumped to a branch nearby with the bird in his mouth. "Come on, let's bring out prey back to camp."

The three cats jumped from the tree and made their way to their pile of prey. Stuffing their mouths with fresh-kill, they padded through the thick forest until they came upon a large, fallen oak that rested perpendicular to a steep hill. Brambles covered the wall of the bark, protecting the camp from enemies. They padded through the entrance, depositing their prey in a shallow ditch near a small tree.

"I'll take this to my sister. Plumpaw, why don't you take that pigeon to Maplebelly?" Lightfoot meowed, hoping Swiftheart didn't mind her ordering around his apprentice. She picked up a squirrel and trotted towards the upturned roots of the oak tree, where the medicine cat's den was. It was sheltered by the intricate weaving of branches and twigs into the gnarled roots and it completely blocked out the wind and rain.

"I've brought you a squirrel, Willowleaf!" Lightfoot called, purring as her silver and white tabby sister appeared from the shadows. Her green eyes shone brightly as she sniffed the squirrel.

"Thank you. I haven't eaten at all today," she confessed, worry clouding her eyes. "Amberwing has whitecough and it hasn't gotten better, no matter how much I've given her." She shook her head as if trying to shake the troubled thoughts from her mind.

"I'm sure she'll be strong again soon, she's a strong cat," Lightfoot replied softly, her heart twisting with fear. Whitecough could easily spread to their already weakened Clan. "Are you going to come to the Gathering tonight then?"

"I don't think so. Elmstar wants me to stay here to look after her," she meowed in between ravenous bites. "I don't blame him, but I'm worried other Clans will see our weakness."

"I wouldn't worry. Everyone is still getting settled in to this new home. TreeClan will be safe. Just worry about getting Amberwing back on her paws again." Lightfoot flicked her white tail over her sister's ears. "StarClan will watch over us."

Elmstar was in the center of the clearing when Lightfoot padded out of the medicine den. The rest of the Clan was gathered around him as he spoke:

"Branchtail, Hiddenpelt, Lightfoot, and Goldpaw will attend tonight's Gathering. Swiftheart, Vineclaw, and Plumpaw will protect the nursery and medicine dens. Is that clear?"

The whole Clan muttered in agreement and split up, some going to the fresh-kill pile, some going to their favorite spots in camp to share tongues.

"Would you like to eat with me?" Swiftheart offered, the squirrel in his mouse muffling his voice.

"Sure." He led her to a patch of soft moss covered by a large willow tree and dropped the squirrel. She sat down and felt her heart swell as he sat beside her, fur brushing fur.

As she took a small bite, her mouth flooded with the rich flavors of warm fresh-kill. Her tail curled with delight as she took a few more bites and filled up her stomach. Swiftheart's fur warmed her body as they laid down side-by-side and began to share tongues. Lightfoot's eyes narrowed lazily as the rhythmic strokes of her friend's tongue slowly lulled her to a light doze.

"Lightfoot, it's time for the Gathering," a velvet voice whispered in her ear. Happiness wrapped its arms around her as she shook her head slowly. "Come on, you silly furball."

Blinking her eyes open, she saw that it had become much darker out. The Gathering patrol was waiting by the entrance and she hopped to her paws and joined them after giving Swiftheart a lick on the cheek.

Tonight's Gathering would be an interesting one. Ever since the battle with NightClan a moon ago, tensions between TreeClan and NightClan were high. Lightfoot recalled sadly how many TreeClan cats had died from that battle, one being her brother, Graylight. Her ears flattened with anger as she imagined the NightClan leader, Sharpstar, demanding more land from TreeClan.

"You okay?" A voice asked her. Lightfoot looked over at the mottled brown and black tom and nodded.

"Yeah, I am, Hiddenpelt. I was just thinking about NightClan," she added, lip curling with disgust. Beside her, Hiddenpelt tensed.

"I'll skin them if they dare say anything to us," the warrior growled darkly. It took a moment for her to remember that Hiddenpelt's mate, Flowertail, and daughter, Heatherpaw, had both been killed during the battle.

"Remember the truce," she reminded him gently, resting her tail on the sorrowful tom's shoulders. He relaxed a little and nodded but said no more.

The patrol came to a halt as the land sloped downward. A small stream circled the crater where one solitary tree stood in the middle. Lightfoot could scent both SkyClan and LakeClan, but NightClan had not arrived yet.

"We will not speak of whitecough or our small numbers," Elmstar informed the patrol. "Give nothing away." They nodded, then followed their leader downward to the group of cats.

"Lightfoot!" a voice purred happily. Lightfoot turned her head to see a black she-cat bounding over to her.

"Hello Raventail!" Raventail had been one of Lightfoot's good friends on the journey to their new home. The Clans had come together to move away from the cramped living space where SkyClan had been rebuilt. Seeing Raventail again made Lightfoot both happy and regretful; if only the pretty black she-cat lived in TreeClan.

"How's the prey been?" her friend meowed, head tilting to one side.

"Very well. I caught plenty this morning. How are the fish?"

"Still not used to how fast we swim," Raventail growled playfully. "There has been plenty of prey though."

A gust of wind told Lightfoot that NightClan was arriving. Her neck fur bristled as the paw steps grew louder and the NightClan cats mingled with the other Clans.

"Are you okay? What's gotten under your pelt?" Raventail wondered, looking around. "Has NightClan been bothering you?"

Luckily, the four Clan leaders called for the meeting to begin, saving Lightfoot from coming up with an explanation for her friend.

"The prey has been plentiful in SkyClan," the solid reddish brown she-cat leader announced. "We welcome three new kits and our apprentices are almost ready to become warriors." She stepped back, allowing the LakeClan leader to step forward.

"SkyClan has been stealing from our territory," the brown tabby she-cat growled, throwing a furious look at the SkyClan leader. Yowls of protest came from the crowd of cats and suddenly, cats were on their paws, fur bristling, teeth bared.

"How dare you accuse my Clan of stealing, Muddystar!"

"I scented your cats on my territory, Rosestar!"

"Enough!" Elmstar yowled, his voice booming. The Gathering fell silent, but the tension remained. "StarClan will be mad if we break the truce."

"I see clouds already," the medicine-cat of SkyClan agreed.

"My Clan did not steal any piece of prey from any Clan," Rosestar hissed, her reddish fur lying flat, though her eyes still blazed.

"My warriors scented your cats. If they spot a SkyClan cat on our territory again, we will attack with tooth and claw," Muddystar warned, her eyes dark and menacing. Once the tension fizzled away, Sharpstar stepped forward.

"NightClan is doing well. Silenthunter's two kits have become apprentices. We welcome Ebonypaw and Rockpaw tonight at the Gathering."

Lightfoot looked over and saw the two apprentices lift their heads, the expressions on their faces smug.

"Prey has been running well and our Clan is just as strong, even after our skirmish with TreeClan." The dark leader stepped back, his expression unreadable.

"TreeClan has been thriving and our borders are well protected. StarClan welcomes some TreeClan warriors because NightClan can't honor the warrior code and spare lives during battle," he announced, his eyes accusing. Gasps came from the cats below, but no one spoke. "Nevertheless, we grow strong, and anyone who dares think otherwise will be proven wrong in a heartbeat."

This time, the clouds completely covered the moon, shielding the Clan cats from its light.

"StarClan is angry," Fernlight, the SkyClan medicine cat, announced. "The Gathering is over."


End file.
